Legendary ‘80s rock band Queen brought their 2019 Rhapsody Tour to Amalie Arena in Tampa on August 18. Tour dates range from 2019-2020, and they are touring globally from the US to Australia.  

The band opened the concert with the song “Now I’m Here.” Each band member appeared one by one on the dark stage as the light shone on them, and the crowd began to cheer.  

Taking the place of former lead vocalist Freddie Mercury was Adam Lambert. Lambert began to gain fame in 2009 after placing runner-up on American Idol. As he mentioned during the concert, he has been working with Queen for eight years.  

Queen originated in London in 1970, with founding members Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor. Lead guitarist and vocalist May and drummer and vocalist Taylor played on their own until lead vocalist and pianist Mercury joined to form the band Queen. Bass guitarist John Deacon joined a year later.  

Remembered for his flamboyant personality and amazing singing voice, Freddie Mercury made Queen what it is today. In 1991, Mercury passed away due to complications from AIDS. Although no one will ever be able to replace Mercury, Adam Lambert well embodied his role.  

Singing “Hammer to Fall,” Adam Lambert looked out into the crowd as he walked across the stage, glowing with red and white lasers.  

Many fans of Queen are much older and were around when the band was popular. However, the 2018 movie about Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, increased their popularity in a younger generation.  

Queen ended their concert with an exhilarating performance of one of their most well-known songs, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The crowd screamed every word and kept cheering even after the band went off stage. They returned for an encore, performing Freddie Mercury’s classic “Ay-Oh,” “We Will Rock You” and ending with “We Are the Champions.” 

Queen, even while lacking two out of the four original members, still lived up to every expectation and put on an amazing concert.